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Prius c vs Honda hybrid mileage?

Discussion in 'Prius c Fuel Economy' started by akh02, Apr 23, 2012.

  1. akh02

    akh02 New Member

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    I'm waiting on delivery of a Prius C to replace my 06 Civic hybrid. I wondered if anyone else out there had switched from a Honda hybrid to the Prius C and what kind of mileage difference they noted over the same routes?
     
  2. actiondonkey

    actiondonkey Member

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    best I could suggest is to check out fuelly.com

    You won't get the specific route comparison you're looking for but comparing one natl average to the other should give you a rough guesstimate.
     
  3. kkim

    kkim Active Member

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  4. akh02

    akh02 New Member

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    Thanks for the links. It looks like the fuel economy is much better in the prius c, but I was hoping for someone with personal experience between the two.
     
  5. jsfabb

    jsfabb Active Member

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    Fuelly is based on personal experience, there's just no story behind it ... just cold hard facts! :)

    Although, I do wish more people would put in their locations more for comparison.
     
  6. usnavystgc

    usnavystgc Die Hard DIYer and Ebike enthusiast.

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    The Honda Civic Hybrid (HCH) cannot compare to even the Gen I Prius, (in my humble opinion). That's why they lost their small claims suit.

    I am positive you will get better mpg w/ the "C" but if you already own your HCH, the cost per mile will be significantly cheaper w/ the HCH.
     
  7. kocho

    kocho Member

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    You are right to ask - comparison sites like Fuelly are good but can be biased and you can't tell how the car will perform for you from looking at someone else's data.

    I've owned the first gen Prius for about 3.5 years, sold that to get the Honda Insight (second gen, '11 model). With the Prius I was getting around 44mpg at the pump, combined. With the Insight I am getting about the same (MID shows 47 lifetime average, I've been getting usually 2-4 mpg less actual than that). Have driven the Insight for just over a year and about 20K miles. And we just bought a '08 Prius and have done 2 full tanks on it so far.

    For me, in light traffic, I get very similar numbers from the Insight and the '08 Prius as well. On the highway the Insight might even be a bit better. In heavy traffic in the city the Prius is better.

    So for me, with similar driving style, the distinguishing factor is heavy stop and go vs. smooth flowing traffic. In stop and go the Prius is better - it still gets me 45+mpg there where the Insight drops below 40mpg. In smooth flowing city or suburban traffic I can get both to give me around 50 to 60 mpg so not much difference there. On the highway I feel the Insight is a bit more efficient nearing 55mpg vs. probably 50 for the Prius.


    Obviously, I can get vastly different MPG figures, depending on the particular commute and how I drive. But if I drive the same, the two cars are very similar for me, except in heavy stop and go. Your Civic might be a bit worse, but the trend should be similar... And, believe it or not, the Insight drives nicer and has a lot less rattles from plastics inside and is a bit more quiet too (except under heavy acceleration).

    It is important to note that both my cars currently have exactly the same wheel and tire size and the same tire brand with similar tire pressures. So any differences are up to me and traffic...

    The Prius C should give 5-7mpg better efficiency in stop and go than my '08 and probably similar fuel efficiency on the highway, maybe a bit better efficiency in suburban traffic too.

    To me, if you drive in heavy stop and go you will see a significant improvement in MPG over your Honda. Not sure how the Civic does on the highway compared to the Insight so can't tell - you can probably tell for yourself, if you've compared the Insight to the Civic...

     
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  8. akh02

    akh02 New Member

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    Thanks! That was exactly the detail I was looking for. My daily commute is mostly stop and go, which just kills my Civic's mileage, down to the low 30's. It's a much more efficient highway car than city car. When I started looking for a replacement the Prius c sounded perfect and it test drove great, but it's nice to hear from people who have actually compared the different hybrid systems.
     
  9. Prissy

    Prissy New Member

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    I just bought a PC. I have only 400 miles on it, so it's too early to tell about mpg. However, I am at 52 mpg based on one fill up. I get upwards of 60mpg in 25-40 mpg in town traffic. On the highway, it's more like 50.

    We also own a 2010 Honda Insight with 26000 miles. The average mpg over its life is 48mpg. It does better on the highway than in town mileage wise.

    So, it really boils down to what kind of driving you will mainly do.
    I don't like the driving feel of the Insight, but my partner loves it. The PC isn't a little pocket rocket like my old Fit, but it has a much more planted feel on the road than the Insight. The steering is a bit numb for my tastes, but the PC is a very solid handling little car. I just love it so far.
     
  10. ricks06

    ricks06 New Member

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    I just traded a 2011 Honda insight for my 2012 Prius C. The Honda was getting 36 MPG, My Prius C is getting 44 with just 900 miles on it. I am hoping the mileage will continue to improve on my Prius.
     
  11. j_benj

    j_benj Prius C Fan

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    Not the vehicle you're looking for a comparison with but my GF has a 2011 Honda CR-Z hybrid and she averages about 38mpg in it. I'm averaging 55.5mpg right now with my C so I'm trouncing her.
     
  12. akh02

    akh02 New Member

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    Thanks for the feedback, hopefully my c will get here soon and I can do a comparison for myself! :)
     
  13. 22209

    22209 Junior Member

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    I just bought my new Prius c a week and a half ago, and sold my 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid w/ manual transmission. I had 162k miles on the HCH, and lifetime average ~47mpg. Average mpg for the Prius c, over ~450 miles, is 50 mpg. I bought the car with almost 50 miles on it already though, and have found that I've personally been averaging in the mid-high 50s for mpg. On a typical daily commute, I was probably at around 50 mpg with the HCH, and I have been seeing about 60 mpg with the Prius c.
     
  14. PriusSport

    PriusSport senior member

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    My wife's Insight gets 42 mpg. That's close to those Civic Hybrid numbers.

    The Insight, by the way, is one of the biggest secrets in the automotive industry.Granted the American media has taken to largely ignore hybrids these days, but for $18.5K it is one hell of a bargain. 35K miles in 2+ years and no problems. Typical Honda.
     
  15. akh02

    akh02 New Member

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    To answer my own question. The last few work commutes on my Honda civic hybrid averaged 33-35mpg. The first two work commutes on my Prius c averaged 50mpg without any change in driving style. I'm pleased.
     
  16. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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  17. Carrollights

    Carrollights Member

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    I owned a Honda Civic Hybrid (2007) and I drove it for 180k miles, and now I own a Prius C with 7,500 miles and I will never own a Honda Hybrid again...unless they gave it away
    my mileage on the Honda Civic Hybrid was like 35 to 40 MPG and I'm getting 55 to 60 MPG on the Prius C
     
  18. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    ^^^
    Wow, that's pretty high mileage on a HCH. Out of curiosity, did you need any major repairs (e.g. CVT, HV battery pack or catalytic converter)?
     
  19. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    Depends on who is driving, and where. When Wayne Gerdes ran a 48 state tour to upstage a similar record setting TDI highway run, he intentionally selected the HCH over the Prius (then Gen2). But the Prius was always better in the city than the HCH.
     
  20. photogrl13

    photogrl13 Member

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    I just switched over from a 2004 HCH manual. When it wasn't having issues and the weather was temperate, I was getting about 48-49 mpg on a tank. My average for the year i had it (calculated) was 47.1. I havent gotten a whole tank out of the C yet, but doing the same routes and driving the same way, I am getting around 51-59 mpg on average. Lowest trip I've seen so far was 48 lol.

    I always felt that I could do better in the HCH but never could muster much more out of it. Highest recorded tank was 51 calculated.

    Note i fell like I can't use my old HCH as a good comparison though, as even after having the IMA battery replaced at 93k, it still had other issues, old cheap tires, and then started eating oil at a rate of 1 quart every 600 miles o_O and that was with only 101k on the ODO. I have a friend who has a 2003 HCH manages 40ish in Cincy and that is pretty hilly and almost all city driving. Needless to say, I'm pleased with the C and plan on driving it until the wheels fall off lol. I feel as though it totally blows my old HCH out of the water. And has less than 100 miles on it so far. Can't wait until the break-in period is over to see my real potential with it.

    FYI my normal routes are mostly 35-55 mph roads and highway for a 3 mile stretch once or twice a day.